"For sale" section thread missing

[Roy S.]

Re: "For sale" section thread missing

I am awestruck at the numbers being mentioned for percentage of NCRS members without email. Why limit access to classifieds to the lowest denominator?

[Roy S.]

Re: "For sale" section thread missing

Personally I wouldn't want to provide a for sale functionality using this forum software.

Ideally I would like to use some, off the shelf, purpose build software to be used to offer classified ad functionality so it would be better suit this task. Misusing this forum software to offer a classified ads functionality would, in my opinion, not be the right approach. I think these options should be explored first before a decision is made if, and how, the NCRS should deliver a online classified ads functionality.

Rob, In my mind if you as an example offered it in the member services drop down, for members only, kept it off the technical board and made it as you have described that is a win-win situation.

[Bill C.]

Re: "For sale" section thread missing

Has anyone thought that maybe by having the "parts for sale section" on the TDB it would make the WEB participation rate go WAY UP ....
I am fairly sure that if the NCRS active/inactive membership knew that this section was available - they would visit.
The more popular it became, the more people would visit (new) and re-visit the site.

You would also get the population of folks using the Corvette Forum (and other venues eBay etc..) for parts, coming back to the NCRS website.


If the "TDB" was a part of business I was running - I would explore any and all ways to attract people to use it.
I would bet that Vendors/Sponsors would have NO ISSUES being listed on the website as part of their advertising agreement with NCRS.

Funny - I thought that the NCRS was a ongoing business entity...


PS ===
Just want to make one thing very clear -- The NCRS organization is wonderful!
I could not have done the restoration on my 72 without all the folks who helped guide me through it with superb technical advise. LOTS came from this board.

I LOVE the Restorer - I can read it 100 times over between issues. I refer back to it many times.

But I NEVER bother with the Driveline (for all the stated reasons in this post and other previous posts).

Can't the organization strike a balance between print and WEB?

[Gordon W.]

Re: "For sale" section thread missing

Shouldn't the question be can we justify a special for sale section to the lowest denominator 592 anticipated participants’ since Jan 1 versus 15,487 memberships.

Roy, that's a good point, but I think the #s are misleading. I do think classifieds would drive more people here.

Also we are saying "justify a special for sale section"...Come on, it costs NOTHING to do this. It should be a simple PHP change to add another forum. How much does that cost?

[Gary C.]

Re: "For sale" section thread missing

Gordon, are you volunteering? We can always use good help since there's only 3 of us that keep all the NCRS IT function running, which is way more complex & requires 300~400 hours plus per month to run. Gary....

[Roy S.]

Re: "For sale" section thread missing

Roy, that's a good point, but I think the #s are misleading. I do think classifieds would drive more people here.

Also we are saying "justify a special for sale section"...Come on, it costs NOTHING to do this. It should be a simple PHP change to add another forum. How much does that cost?

Funny - I thought that the NCRS was a ongoing business entity...

Can't the organization strike a balance between print and WEB?

Justification dollars and cents is not what I was referring too. I was referring to how we justify offering less than 5% of the membership a service that 95% are not using. This is a hobbyist group all deserve fair and equitable treatment. Does it need to be run like a business, apparently it does. But the justification I seek is how it serves the whole membership.

[Rob M.]

Re: "For sale" section thread missing

Justification dollars and cents is not what I was referring too. I was referring to how we justify offering less than 5% of the membership a service that 95% are not using. This is a hobbyist group all deserve fair and equitable treatment. Does it need to be run like a business, apparently it does. But the justification I seek is how it serves the whole membership.

I think first we need to answer the question why the members don't visit the forum much more often while they tend to spend more and more time on internet. Apparantly the current content of the TDB is not offering them enough to check it out and/or to come back... That should make us wonder!

[Gordon W.]

Re: "For sale" section thread missing

Gordon, are you volunteering? We can always use good help since there's only 3 of us that keep all the NCRS IT function running, which is way more complex & requires 300~400 hours plus per month to run. Gary....

Yes, I can help. I have degrees in computer science and write code for Android devices currently. But if you all are spending 300-400 hours a month maintaining this website you are doing something horribly wrong. Send me an email and we can talk.

[Kenneth B.]

Re: "For sale" section thread missing

I was trying to stay out of this but the points made aginest having a for sale adds don't add up. to say that only 500 members are on here & there are 15,000 members infers that all the rest read the Driveline adds NOT. Also then why is advertising on here any different that what we have in the Driveline? One day it will happen but probable not in a lot of uses life time if NCRS will still be around.

[Patrick H.]

Re: "For sale" section thread missing

I think first we need to answer the question why the members don't visit the forum much more often while they tend to spend more and more time on internet. Apparantly the current content of the TDB is not offering them enough to check it out and/or to come back... That should make us wonder!

For the members I know who don't visit it's usually because they're not working on a car for which they need a question answered.
There is no longer a social forum so they can't come and talk to their friends. The ads aren't here so there is no reason to check out the site.

Frankly, there isn't much that makes them want to visit and we do little to entice them to stay once they come. The stats that the majority of the membership has signed up but no longer visits should make this quite obvious.
When it comes to the old "lead, follow or get out of the way" saying, we've just moved out of the way and let other sites service our members. Our website relevance to most of the members is quite small.

[Roy S.]

Re: "For sale" section thread missing

I think first we need to answer the question why the members don't visit the forum much more often while they tend to spend more and more time on internet.

Not sure the assumption that the majority of our members spend more time on the internet can be validated, maybe they get all of the NCRS information they need as they now participate.

Apparantly the current content of the TDB is not offering them enough to check it out and/or to come back... That should make us wonder!

Again, not sure the assumption that the majority of our members are not getting the content of the TDB they need so they are choosing to stay away can be validated either.

If it can, then lets get on with it, but again active particiaption by less than 5% does not justify, increased dues for the masses. Before you ask about increased dues pleas read Gary Chesnuts post in the poll section.

[Roy S.]

Re: "For sale" section thread missing

The stats that the majority of the membership has signed up but no longer visits should make this quite obvious.

Where is that stat, members have to sign up and register to use the online registration system, that does not mean they ever used the TDB. Unless I am missing something.

[Greg C.]

Re: "For sale" section thread missing

Lets don't go down the slippery slope of "only 5% do xyz"... you can fiddle faddle numbers all you want.... to get the results you need (just see how the experts in Washington DC do it).

Cause if that is the case, why have an NCRS online store? Why have registration for the National Convention online? Why have anything online?

I think the excuses for not modernizing the "online" end of NCRS are getting thinner and thinner.... If VOLUNTEERS will do it for FREE... what excuses are left?

[Bill C.]

Re: "For sale" section thread missing

Gordon, are you volunteering? We can always use good help since there's only 3 of us that keep all the NCRS IT function running, which is way more complex & requires 300~400 hours plus per month to run. Gary....

Gary,

I would be happy to volunteer.
I have owned a computer IT consulting and Services company for nearly 20 years. I have a degree in Computer Science and was a long time programmer
before stepping into the manegment role. Mostly C++ VB and some JAVA, but not to much HTML and WEB services stuff.
But know my way around WEB developement using NetObjects 12.


I have plenty of free time available and could give you all a good 50 hours a month if you need.

Please let me know.

Bill

[Gary C.]

Re: "For sale" section thread missing

Bill,

Thanks for volunteering.

Anymore good members out there like Bill who have programming skill sets & some time available.

Gary
....